A device for the industrial production of cheese blocks is known for example from EP-A-350777. This comprises a wash-in press having a rectangular trough which is open at the top for receiving moulds, a pedestal frame for arranging a press head that can be lowered and raised, and a distribution head for feeding and metered dispensing of the raw cheese mass into the moulds, and a gantry carriage that is displaceable on the trough for guiding the distribution head and handling a turning mechanism for the moulds. The distribution head and the turning mechanism must be provided and changed manually. The wall of the mould consists of a perforated plate and multiple moulds can be arranged in sets. Cylindrical pins are provided on the end faces of a set for docking a handling apparatus.
EP-A-406899 describes a further development of such a device, in which the moulds are accommodated in cassettes, and the cassettes are in turn arranged in compact rows in the trough. A press head having press dies directed at the cheese moulds for pressing the raw cheese mass is provided above the moulds.
In this case, the actual press mould is surrounded by a pot-like jacket with an air supply duct (EP-B-1269832). In this way, an air channel is formed, and the cheese mass sticking to the screen holes in the perforated plate can be removed from the side of the mould by the air through after pressing.
According to EP-B-543185, a mould cover can be connected to the press die in self-centring manner via a tilting apparatus, so that the mould cover is prevented from being sucked against the cheese mass as a result of possible tilting movements. The mould itself is round or rectangular and can consist of an outer container and an inner, perforated liner.
Another cheese mould with a perforated metal mould wall is disclosed in DE-B-1030612. This mould wall has low raised areas and depressions up to about 1 mm deep distributed evenly over its inner surface, designed to ensure that the cheese rind is not damaged when the cheese block is removed, even if the cheese is knocked out of the mould.
According to DE-C-2823182, such a cheese mould with perforated wall may be made from plastic, the inner side of which is provided with parallel grooves having a triangular cross section. In the transitional and integral base area, the grooves are separated by discontinuous ribs.
Mould walls or double bases of such kind require significant effort to clean.